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Video:Fantasy Football: How to Create a Team

Ready to get your fantasy football team together? This short video from About.com explains how to join a league, and set up a fantasy football team.See Transcript

Transcript:Fantasy Football: How to Create a Team

Hey I'm Charlie McKeague for About.com and today I'll be showing you how to create a fantasy football team.

Joining a Fantasy Football League

The first step is finding a league. If you can't find friends or coworkers to play with, there are public leagues you can join. Once you've found a league pick a team name and a logo and you are ready to go.

Researching Your Fantasy Football League

If you want to create the best fantasy football team and have a chance at winning your fantasy football league, you'll need to start by researching. First you need to study up on the league you've joined. How is it scored? Is it a Points Per Reception league? If it's a PPR league, players that catch a lot of passes but may not necessarily get a lot of yards have higher value because they gets points per reception.

What about the roster makeup of your league? Is it a 2 QB league, is their a flex player? Are there two, three or four wide receivers? The way your roster is set up will determine when you select players during the draft. If for example there are three wide receivers in your league, you need to select the high-scoring receivers early, before its too late. If it's a 2QB league you'll definitely want to select one top notch QB early in the draft and maybe two if you can.

You'll also need to know how your league is scored. Are there unique settings for point allocation the commissioner has created? Finding out every nuance in scoring will help you make better decisions on draft day.

Researching the Players for Fantasy Football

Not only should you research the league you're in but also the players you'll be using. Follow all of the latest player news, injury updates, and what moves coaches are making to their depth charts. A player that is a new starter might slip under the radar in your draft. Make sure you know who is going to play, how much they are going to play, and if you are willing to gamble on them. Don't be afraid to gamble on high risk players, especially in later rounds of the draft.

Drafting in Fantasy Football

Drafting is one of the most important parts of the season, do not miss it! This is where you choose your players for week one and beyond. Now you'll take everything you've learned about your roster, scoring, and player news and apply it here. Generally, websites will pre-rank players for you. Use this a reference when selecting players. Don't draft players because they play for your home team or because you are just a fan. Draft players who will get the most touchdowns, yards, and touches. The more touches a player gets the more likely they are to score points for you.

Setting your Lineup

Once you've drafted your players, you want to set your lineup. You'll keep your weaker players on the bench and start your highest scoring players. Be sure to monitor this weekly as bye weeks, injuries, and matchups are key factors to consider. Follow the waiver wire as the season progresses to pick up emerging fantasy stars.

That was a quick look at how to create a fantasy football team. For more on fantasy football be sure to check out About.com

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